bite

When using the front teeth to eat food or tear something, you can use the word "bite."

Someone took a bite out of this donut.

Someone bit into the donut.

The first sentence shows how "bite" is used as a noun. The second sentence uses "bite" as a verb in the past tense.

You can also use the word "bite" when describing the activities of animals and insects:

1. A mosquito is going to bite him.

2. He’s going to be bitten. (passive voice)

3. He’s going to get a mosquito bite if he doesn’t do something.

In the first and second sentences "bite" is a verb; in the third sentence "bite" is a noun.

Here are a few more examples:

• The government takes a bite out of your paycheck in the form of taxes.
• Jim’s guitar strap is biting into his shoulder.
• Conrad was offered a new job if he agreed to move to New York, but he didn’t bite on the offer. (bite = agree; accept terms)
• Additional police officers on the streets of Minneapolis are taking a bite out of crime downtown. (take a bite = reduce)

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October 5, 2014